John Pettigrew

John grew up on the family orchard at Lemnos and attended Lemnos Primary School and later Shepparton Technical School before leaving to work on the then young orchard at Bunbartha. This was the beginning of a family partnership that included parents Jack and Peg and brother Peter. John and wife Robin now live on an irrigation property on the Goulburn River at Bunbartha.

John has a long history within the Goulburn Valley Fruit industry both as a grower and as a director of SPC Ltd. during the turbulent and challenging 1980’s and early 1990’s. It was during this time that SPC was transformed from an unlisted company to be publicly listed on the stock exchange. It was also a time of board upheaval, campaigning, change and the highly publicised SPC agreement with staff and employees.

In 1973 John was elected to the Shepparton Advisory Board of the Victorian State Rivers and Water Supply Commission and continued on as a Water Service Committee member and Chair of the Shepparton Committee. In 2002 John was appointed to the Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) Board for six years which included the Millennium drought.

A keen interest in the environment and resource management developed during serving with the Salinity Program Advisory Council (SPAC), the Goulburn Broken CALP Board and two terms on the Board of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.

John has extensive water policy experience with over a decade involvement in Victorian Farm dam legislation, National Water Reform and the Basin Plan development.

In 2012 John retired from the fruit industry and now keeps busy with many environmental organisations including the Environmental Farmers Network, Goulburn Valley Environment Group, The Climate Reality Project and Landcare.

“In many ways the MDWWG embraces John’s goals of delivering water for improved environmental, social and economic outcomes for this and future generations.”